The Scars Run Deep
by TheVonKarmaSiblings
Summary: Years after she was shot, Miles forces Franziska to go to an appointment for the injury she substained, but this brings up bad memories but also helps the two realise some home truths. Takes places after the trilogy. Oneshot.


A/N: Another oneshot about our favorite brother and sister Prosecutors. I got this idea because we never saw the aftermath of Franziska's injury and I can imagine it would be something that affects her. This takes place after the trilogy, sometime around the Apollo Justice era. I hope you enjoy and all reviews are appreciated.

* * *

**The Scars Run Deep**

Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma were sitting at the table in the kitchen, eating a breakfast of toast and cereal. Both the siblings were currently in Germany. Miles had being there for three months working, and was staying in the old house he used to share with the Von Karma's with his sister. Today was a Saturday and neither of the Prosecutor's currently had a case to work on, and because of the rain pouring down outside, they were going to try to avoid going out unless they really had to and just do any paperwork they needed to do at home.

Pess started barking in that moment as the sound of the post being put in the letter box was heard. The dog barked, alerting the presence to the brother and sister.

"Alright Pess I am going" Miles said standing up to get the post, knowing his dog will only bother him until he did. He walked over and picked up the post on the doormat.

Bills, more bills, something that looked like it was from Old bag, a bunch of leaflets trying to sell things, why did people waste paper with such junk? The only thing that looked like it had any interesting value was a letter for Franziska. Miles walked back to the kitchen and held the letter out to Franziska.

"Letter for you, I wouldn't get to excied, I think Oldbag is sending me mail again, it is probably just from Larry" Miles told his sister who smiled slightly at the joke before taking the letter and opening it, pausing to stroke Pess on the head who was busy sniffing around curiously. She pulled the letter out the envelope and read it quickly, before putting it on the table, wearing a slight look of worry and clutching her shoulder.

"You alright?" Miles asked rising his eyebrows as he looked at her, wondering if someone was finally suing her for whipping them.

"Yes, it is just junk" the younger girl said in response. Miles Edgeworth doubted that, he knew that look she had worn.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, the girl nodded, still clutching her shoulder, which she did when she felt threatened.

"Okay then you won't mind me taking a look" Miles said grabbing it off the table before the girl could react much.

"GIVE THAT BACK, THAT IS MY PERSONAL MAIL" Franziska said standing up to try wrestle it from him but he used the fact he was taller to hold it above her head and read it.

"How is having a hospital appointment nothing Franziska?" Miles asked glaring at her as she snatched the letter back.

"Because they send me these stupid things every year, 'come to the hospital so we can check up on your scar and shooting injury" I mean as if I don't have better things to do than sit in a hospital for hours to have them tell me I have a scar on my shoulder" the girl said, thinking it was pointless to attend when her injury was already healed.

"They need to make sure it has healed right" Miles told her with a sigh, knowing she got very touchy talking about when she was shot in the shoulder. In fact she tried to avoid the topic at all costs.

"It was years ago, of course it has healed by now" the blue haired girl replied.

"Well you don't know what because you don't go to the appointments" Miles told her. Franziska rolled her eyes.

"You will be going to this appointment, I am personally going to take you myself" Miles told her knowing she had to stop being so negligence with her health.

"NO! I can make my own decisions Miles Edgeworth, I don't need to go to this appointment, I am not missing work to attend" Franziska replied, glaring at the grey haired man.

"Do I need to carry you there again?" Miles asked, knowing that was normally the only way he could get his sister to listen.

Franziska wasn't listening. She wasn't going, he couldn't force her. She was determined to win.

* * *

The next week she was sitting in the passenger seat of her brother's red car, with her arms folded annoyed. Miles had won. He had nagged her and nagged her until she eventually gave in, even whipping him didn't put him off, and after he threatened to carry her out of the prosecutor's office where all the other workers would see her kicking and screaming, she had agreed, she could tell by his face he was serious, it didn't mean she was happy about it though.

"Don't be angry" Miles said glancing at her as her drove "I am doing this for your benefit, your health is important" Miles replied, knowing she was in an awful mood.

"You are making me miss a whole day of work for this, for a stupid check up" Franziska scolded, angry at him.

"Your shoulder bothers you sometimes" Miles said "It is best to get it checked now and then just to make sure it isn't infected or something" Miles said knowing her shoulder had never being the same and it caused her trouble still.

Franziska said nothing during the rest of the drive. Miles said nothing, not wanting to annoy her and be whipped when he was driving, he didn't want them to crash because he was distracted, He pulled into a parking space and got out to pay for the parking ticket. Franziska got out and followed him but said nothing, still annoyed at him.

"Come on" Miles said leading her into the hospital. They walked into the place in silence. Miles had learned it was best to keep quiet when Franziska was fuming. At reception Franziska gave her name and they were told to wait in the room. They sat down on some plastic chairs to wait.

"Right you can go now, I will be a good girl and go to the appointment" Franziska said knowing she must as well now she was here.

"I don't want to go, I want to make sure everything is okay, I will wait for you" Miles said in response, listening to the people around him chatting in German, about their lives and their injuries, others, like Franziska and himself were saying nothing, not knowing what to say. Miles looked at Franziska who was looking at the floor.

"You alright?" Miles asked concerned

"I just don't like hospitals" Franziska said, the places making her feel queasy after the last time she had being in one.

"Me either, but it is okay to be scared you know" Miles said sensing that was the real problem. He knew her, he knew she was scared about this appoitment.

Miles yelped loudly as the whip his sister carried slapped him on the face. By this point everyone was staring at them, not only were the siblings switching between talking English and German every few seconds, but the female was carrying a whip causally and hitting the man with it. Of course people were confused and curious.

"I am not scared!" the girl shouted at him. Miles held up his hands in defeat

"Okay okay sorry I was just saying!" he told her, knowing accusing Franziska of having feelings had not being the best thing to do, especially with her being in a bad mood.

* * *

They waited for ten minutes, and then twenty. Franziska got frustrated and kept whipping Miles (and other patients) until Miles told her to stop before she was arrested for disorderly conduct. He stood up to grab a tea, and got one for his sister, she took it and drank a little, pulling a face.

"You would think they would learn to make good tea by now?" Miles commented, trying to cheer her up a bit. Just then a woman came with a list of patients and spoke clearly.

"Franziska Von Karma" she called telling the girl it was time for her appointment. Miles didn't know whether to stand or stay seated, knowing his sister would hate him fussing. The girl stood up quietly and was just about to make her way to the nurse when she stopped and turned around, looking embarrassed and was so red she looked sunburnt.

"Actually I am a bit scared, will you come in with me?" she said so fast in English, so she didn't have the risk of other people understanding, Miles almost didn't catch it but he smiled. He knew it had taken a lot of courage for her to ask and admit she was scared, Franziska von Karma was smart and a genius but she still hadn't learned how to express her feelings. She gulped as if she had just asked something really bad, and as if everyone in the hospital was going to mock her for it.

"Of course, come on, it will be okay" Miles said, thinking it was good the girl was not going in by herself. It had being a traumatising time for her, and she needed support. They both walked to the nurse who led them to a room where the doctor was waiting. Franziska knocked firmly three times before stepping in.

"Ahh Franziska" the doctor said. She was about in her mid forties with brown mousey hair styled in a slick back ponytail. "My name is doctor Fischer" the woman said sitting at her desk and smiling. Franziska forced a smile.

"Oh...nice to meet you...is it okay if my brother sits in on the appointment?" Franziska asked. The woman nodded.

"Yes of course, whoever you want to sit in can sit" the woman said going to shake both their hands, Miles introduced himself and they all sat down and the doctor got to the point.

"Right, I have your medical records but I can't make out exactly what happened, someone has tried to translate the documents the hospital in America sent but they have done such a bad job I think they should of just left it how it was originally, and this is from someone who is awful at English" the woman said laughing a little.

"Oh, well I am a prosecutor, I was working on a case and was shot going into the courtroom in my right shoulder by one of the people involved with the case" Franziska told her, knowing she should just tell her simply, if she told the whole story they would never leave. The doctor typed what the girl was saying to her.

"Oh dear I am sorry to hear that" the woman said typing rapidly. "The reason I have set this appointment up is just to check how the injury is healing, I know that it has being a few years but scars are tricky, sometimes they can cause problems" the doctor told her.

"That is what I told her" Miles said the woman nodded gratefully.

"Can I take a look at the scar?" the woman asked, wanting to see the injury for herself.

Miles felt awkward, did he leave now? I mean she would only be showing her arm but still, he knew how sensitive she was.

"Want me to go?" Miles asked her preparing to step outside.

"No, it is only my shoulder you have seen it before" Franziska said rolling up her sleeve, exposing the skin and finally the scar on her shoulder.

Miles had only seen it about twice, once when she was still in hospital. The other when one of their clients found out about the injury and in their anger at being called a liar, threw their show at her shoulder which had resulted in the wound reopening. It had bleed a little and Miles had had to help patch it up because everyone was freaking out because they didn't like blood. Thankfully it was only a small disturbance. Apart from that she kept her scar firmly covered at all times.

He had forgotten that it was as bad as it was. Red and nasty across the shoulder, the skin was dis formed around it from the way it had healed and the way they had to remove the bullet as it was tight in her shoulder. He tried not to look at the injury as the doctor started to feel around it, checking for tension that shouldn't be there. Miles gulped, hoping his sister didn't whack the poor woman.

"Any pain?" the woman asked trying to get an idea about the injury.

"Sometimes it hurts if I move to fast or lift something heavy, or if I put pressure on my shoulder, it is just sensitive" Esmerelda replied. The woman nodded, not giving anything away about what she thought about that. She checked the scar a little longer.

"Okay, well it is what I expect to see with the kind of injury you have, we can do more surgery, to try and improve the appearence of it.." the woman started

"I am NOT having more surgery" Franziska replied. The woman nodded.

"Well it is optional, it could help with the problems you have but not necessarily" the woman told Franziska. The girl sighed and Miles spoke.

"Is there no way you can help her shoulder? It does bother her at times, and with our job we are always on the go" Miles told her. The woman looked sad as she replied.

"The thing is, the trauma her body went through is why it behaves the way it does, we can't get rid of the scar entirely, it will always be there somewhat" the woman replied to the question.

With that the woman shook their hands and told them she would make another check up for the same time in six months, to see if the pain was still there and to see if they could think of an alternative solution.

* * *

Returning to the car, Franziska was quiet again. Miles concentrated on driving, giving her time to think.

"Thanks for coming in with me" Franziska told him shyly. She had not wanted to go by herself at all. She hated thinking about the scar, she hated seeing it, she hated remembering what had happened. Miles smiled but didn't reply straight away as the traffic lights were changing.

"I am just sorry it is not something they can fix" Miles said knowing that Franziska had said 'sometimes it hurt' but that was a lie. It was really sensitive, if you so much as touched it she would be in pain, he had seen her reaction when Pess actually touched it, or someone grabbed her (which was often but you did get crazy clients) or if she so much as hit it against a door, she would be in agony.

"Yes well I knew that already" Franziska replied with a sigh.

"I am sorry that case made you suffer...well and everyone" Miles told her knowing that case was one none of them will forget in a long time.

"Yes well, it wasn't as painful as your father's case, that was much worse" Franziska said.

"You are right, but that case hurt you too" Miles said pulling into the driveway of the Von Karma mansion.

"Thank you" Franziska said, the man looked at her confused.

"What for?" he asked wondering what she meant.

"Well we all have scars right? Some can't be seen, others are physical, but we have choices too, you could have cut all contact with me after what my father did to you, and if you did I wouldn't of blamed you" Franziska told him. Miles only smiled.

"It wasn't your fault, how would doing that help me? It would only make things harder, we grew up together, and I like having you as a sister" Miles told her, knowing he had being lucky to gain a sibling, even in the circumstances.

"Well...I am grateful, now everyone else has gone, thanks for not leaving me alone like she did..." Franziska told him. Miles sighed. He knew she was talking about Mila Von Karma, Franziska's older sister. She was much older than her, even older than Miles, but when she found out about what the outcome of the DL-6 trial had being, she didn't want to talk to Miles anymore (not that she did much as she never lived there when he did anyway) she blamed him, she was angry he had taken her father away. Franziska, who had never being close to her, stuck up for her brother and they hadn't talked since.

"It is her loss, we have each other yes?" Miles said not thinking about her sister.

"Of course little brother, even if you drive me insane" she told him as he kissed her on the forehead, something recent he had started to do. (He had picked it up from Phoenix and Trucy)

"Right come on, the new episode of the steel samurai is about to start" the man said running a little towards the house.

"Honestly Miles Edgeworth you are like a child in the sweet shop" she told him following with a chuckle.

The scars the girl had ran deep. Her shoulder would never heal, it would never be normal again, but she realised they all had scars, some could be seen, others couldn't, what mattered was having someone to stop them scars from getting you down, and having the strength to carry on, healing came through being with loved ones, that was the best type of treatment there was.


End file.
